I. Andante – Allegro – Andante II. Allegro molto III. Adagio con espressione IV. Allegro vivace
Beethoven's
frustration with his ensuing deafness led to depression, and he turned to the
piano as his way of expressing himself freely. With the piano sonatas composed around this time, Beethoven was moving
away from the standard high-Classical sonata towards the new developments
explored and realized in his late works. This sonata is marked as 'Quasi una fantasia' ('almost a fantasy'), a
designation suggesting that these works capture the improvisational quality of
fantasy, which is made possible because Beethoven's 'fantasy' sonatas are only
loosely based on sonata form thus providing a more flexible structure. With the E-flat major sonata, we enter the
realm of fantasy in which flourishes, gestures, and themes are not always fully
developed, as if they were introduced at will rather than as a result of strict
formal necessity. The unusual
innovation of this sonata is that Beethoven did not include an opening
sonata-form allegro movement, suggesting he did not want to be hemmed in by a
traditionally determinative opening movement. Rather, he opens the sonata with a slow introductory movement whose
dream-like, improvisatory character acts as a prelude to the absolute freedom
and imagination unleashed throughout.
Classical Music | Piano Music
Ludwig van Beethoven
Sonata No. 13 Op. 27, No. 1 in E-flat Major, "Quasi una Fantasia" Play
Recorded on 12/08/2010, uploaded on 05/05/2011
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
I. Andante – Allegro – Andante II. Allegro molto III. Adagio con espressione IV. Allegro vivace
Beethoven's frustration with his ensuing deafness led to depression, and he turned to the piano as his way of expressing himself freely. With the piano sonatas composed around this time, Beethoven was moving away from the standard high-Classical sonata towards the new developments explored and realized in his late works. This sonata is marked as 'Quasi una fantasia' ('almost a fantasy'), a designation suggesting that these works capture the improvisational quality of fantasy, which is made possible because Beethoven's 'fantasy' sonatas are only loosely based on sonata form thus providing a more flexible structure. With the E-flat major sonata, we enter the realm of fantasy in which flourishes, gestures, and themes are not always fully developed, as if they were introduced at will rather than as a result of strict formal necessity. The unusual innovation of this sonata is that Beethoven did not include an opening sonata-form allegro movement, suggesting he did not want to be hemmed in by a traditionally determinative opening movement. Rather, he opens the sonata with a slow introductory movement whose dream-like, improvisatory character acts as a prelude to the absolute freedom and imagination unleashed throughout.More music by Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19, Third Movement (Rondo: Allegro molto)
Sonata No. 32 in c minor, Op. 111
Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101
Sonata No. 32 in c minor, Op. 111
Fantasie in g minor, Op. 77
33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120
String Quartet Op. 131
String Quartet No. 11 in f minor, Op. 95, Serioso
Sonata for cello and piano in g minor, Op 5, No. 2
Theme and Seven Variations on "Bei Mannern" from Mozart's The Magic Flute, WoO 46
Performances by same musician(s)
On an Overgrown Path I, They chattered like swallows
Violin sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100
Sonata for Piano and Viola Op. 120, No. 1 in f minor
Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano, Op. 78 in G Major
On an Overgrown Path I, Our evening
On an Overgrown Path I, A blown-away leaf
On an Overgrown Path I, Come along with us
On an Overgrown Path I, The Virgin of Frydek
Sonata in g minor, Op. 22
On an Overgrown Path I, My word stop
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